Book Club for Kids
338 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★ - 331 ratingsThe place where young readers meet to talk about books. The show includes a celebrity reader and an interview with the author. The host is award winning public radio journalist Kitty Felde. Book Club won the California Library Association Technology Award and the DC Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Humanitites. Named one of the top 10 podcasts for kids by THE TIMES of London.
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Episodes
Jason Reynolds
September 05, 2018 16:00 - 10 minutes - 8.43 MBWriter Jason Reynolds visits more than 100 schools a year, inspiring readers and writers around the country. He's a National Book Award Finalist, winner of the 2016 Kirkus Prize, the 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and a Newbery Honor winner.
Episode 73 Tuck Everlasting
August 29, 2018 10:00 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBWould you like to live forever? That's the question our readers from Basis DC Charter School ponder as they discuss Natalie Babbitt's classic tale "Tuck Everlasting" with host Kitty Felde. Actress Denise Krueger is celebrity reader. The late writer talks about her own view of life and death.
Bonus Episode: Summer Reading Favorites
August 22, 2018 10:00 - 4 minutes - 2.78 MBListeners from across the country are calling to to share their favorite books this summer.
Stormbreaker - Anthony Horowitz
August 15, 2018 10:00 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBWhat happens when you discover your uncle was actually a spy? Do you join the family business? Readers from DC's Jefferson Academy discuss best-selling author Anthony Horowitz' first novel in the Alex Rider series "Stormbreaker." Anthony Horowitz discusses the novel and FBI Agent Ed You is our celebrity reader and tells us what it's really like to be a spy. Kitty Felde is host.
Bonus Episode HOLA
August 06, 2018 20:08 - 4 minutes - 2.97 MBSouthern California readers at Heart of Los Angeles Youth share their favorite books with host Kitty Felde.
Foxheart by Claire Legrand
August 01, 2018 10:00 - 24 minutes - 18.3 MBEvery summer, we ask our interns to pick their favorite episode. UC Irvine graduate John Gomez chose Claire Legrand's novel "Foxheart." Witches, monsters, and a brave little thief. Those are the ingredients in the book. Book Club for Kids fan Kailas and her two fellow readers Iona and Gabi discuss the novel at Boulder Bookstore with host Kitty Felde. Our celebrity reader is actor Wesley Mann. Writer Claire Legrand explains how "Foxheart" began as a short story challenge.
Bonus Episode: Kids Listen Summer Mixtape
July 25, 2018 10:00 - 34 minutes - 24.9 MBBook Club for Kids is a proud member of Kids Listen, a grassroots organization that advocates for high quality audio for kids. In preparation for your summer road trip, we introduce you to some of the terrific Kids Listen shows.
Episode 72 - As Brave as You
July 16, 2018 19:30 - 20 minutes - 15.5 MBGoing on a summer road trip? Join us as we take a summer road trip to the south with a pair of brothers from Brooklyn. Our readers are all members of the boys book club at Truesdell Education Campus in Washington, DC. The boys discuss Jason Reynolds’s tale of a blind grandfather, a gun, and a bird named Michael Jackson. It’s called AS BRAVE AS YOU. Emmy Award-winning actor Kim Estes is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
Bonus Episode: Gail Carson Levine
July 11, 2018 10:00 - 11 minutes - 8.34 MBLast week, we talked about Gail Carson Levine’s novel THE LOST KINGDOM OF BAMARRE. But there was more to the conversation. This week, we talk to Gail about writing, about the long slog to get her Newbery Honor book ELLA ENCHANTED published, about poetry, and about fairy tales.
Episode 71 - The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre
July 02, 2018 21:53 - 23 minutes - 16.8 MBWhat makes a modern princess? Readers from Maury Elementary in Washington, D.C. say it takes a bad ass like our heroine in Gail Carson Levine's fairy tale "The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre." Our Newbery honor winner talks about her love of fairy tales and how the novel grew out of her passion to fight prejudice of all kinds. Actress Tessa Auberjonois is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
Bonus Episode: Alan Silberberg
June 27, 2018 04:00 - 3 minutes - 2.65 MBWhich came first - the story or the illustrations? We ask writer Alan Silberberg. He writes and illustrates "Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze." Kitty Felde is host.
Episode 70 - Milo Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze
June 20, 2018 04:00 - 20 minutes - 15.1 MBCan a book be funny and deal with one of the toughest topics around? "Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze" is writer and illustrator Alan Silberberg's tale of 7th grade angst and dealing with the loss of a parent. Seventh graders from Eliot-Hine Middle School in Washington, D.C. discuss the book and ask questions of author Silberberg. Actor Joshua Malina ("West Wing," "Scandal," the "West Wing Weekly" podcast) is our celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
Bonus Episode Linda Sue Park
June 11, 2018 16:48 - 4 minutes - 3.65 MBWe spoke to Linda Sue Park about her novel about one of the Lost Boys of Sudan "A Long Walk to Water." But Linda's the author of nearly a dozen books and winner of the 2002 Newbery Award for "A Single Shard." Not surprisingly, she had a lot to say about what she's learned about writing.
Episode 69 - A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
June 05, 2018 01:48 - 20 minutes - 15.4 MBWhat do you know about South Sudan? Our book is "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park. Fifth grade readers from Pinchbeck Elementary School in Henrico, Virginia consider things they take for granted: clean water from the tap and a guaranteed education. Our celebrity reader is one of the top African experts on Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Karen Bass from California. Writer Linda Sue Park talks about writing fiction from fact. Kitty Felde is host.
Episode 68 - The Secret Zoo
May 21, 2018 22:09 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBAn episode for animal lovers and fantasy fans. Readers from the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library in Broomfield, Colorado discuss Bryan Chick's novel "The Secret Zoo" with host Kitty Felde. Haley Creamer from the Denver Zoo is celebrity reader. It's part of the Kids Listen School's (almost) Out Summer Sweep!
Bonus Episode - Favorite Books from Ashburn, Virginia
May 14, 2018 19:04 - 8 minutes - 8.19 MBThis week, we head out to Ashburn, Virginia to talk to readers at Brambleton Middle School to find out their favorite books. Most of their choices seem to break down into two main categories: adventure and books that relate to the real-life experiences of a middle schooler. Kitty Felde is host.
Episode 67 - The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
May 07, 2018 19:22 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBMeet the Vanderbeeker family - large, loud, unpredictable. They'll try almost anything to stay in their beloved Harlem neighborhood. The 2017 New York Times' Notable Children's Book by Karina Yan Glaser is discussed by readers at DC's Excel Academy Public Charter School. Actor Valente Rodriguez is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
Episode 66 - The War That Saved My Life
April 23, 2018 21:52 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBIn this episode, we travel back to a world at war – to England at the beginning of the London Blitz. The book is "The War That Saved My Life." Writer Kimberley Brubaker Bradley tells the tale of the mass evacuation of children to the British countryside. Our readers are from Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia. Our celebrity reader is Congresswoman Julia Brownley from Thousand Oaks, California.
Bonus Episode Capitol Hill Day School
April 16, 2018 18:13 - 7 minutes - 8 MBFifth graders from Capitol Hill Day School in Washington share their favorite books.
Episode 65 - The Apprentice Witch - James Nicol
April 09, 2018 21:48 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBThink becoming a witch is easy? Think again. Readers from Changing Hands bookstore in Phoenix discuss James Nicol's tale of becoming a professional witch called "The Apprentice Witch." Our celebrity reader is public radio journalist (and amateur ice hockey player) Susan Valot. Our writer talks about how he created the rules for his magical world and confesses that he wasn't much of a reader when he was young.
Bonus Episode - Favorite Books from the British International School
April 02, 2018 19:13 - 9 minutes - 8.61 MBDid you ever wonder what kids from other countries like to read? This week, we talk to kids from the United Arab Emerits, Switzerland, Great Britain, and Venezuela – as well as kids from DC, Maryland, and Virginia. They all attend the British International School of Washington. And we ask them to tell us their favorite books. And guess what? I’ll bet some of their favorites are some of yours, too.
Episode 64 - The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish
March 26, 2018 21:27 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBThis past weekend, thousands and thousands of kids marched in Washington and cities around the nation to call attention to a serious topic kids shouldn’t have to face: gun violence. This week on Book Club for Kids, we talk about the novel "The Ethan I Was Before." It's the story about a boy facing a life and death situation. Our readers from Capitol Hill Day School talk about trauma and the resilience of children. Writer Ali Standish talks about how you write a book about a serious topic for...
Bonus Episode The Bolles School in Florida Favorite Books
March 19, 2018 19:31 - 4 minutes - 3.51 MBIt's our favorite question: what's your favorite book? Readers from The Bolles Middle School in Jacksonville, Florida, with help from school librarian Jaime Ann Sanborn, shared with us their list of favorites.
Episode 63 - Click Here: to find out how I survived 7th grade by Denise Vega
March 12, 2018 20:50 - 34 minutes - 23 MBIn an era when kids share so much of their lives online, how do you survive middle school? On this special on the road edition of Book Club for Kids from the Colorado Book Festival, a quintet of readers from the Denver area discuss Denise Vega's novel "Click Here: To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade." Our celebrity reader is Colorado education legend Anna Jo Haynes.
Bonus Episode Laurie Halse Anderson
March 02, 2018 19:17 - 6 minutes - 4.78 MBWe spoke to writer Laurie Halse Anderson a few weeks ago about her Revolutionary War novels. But there was more to the conversation – about poetry, track and field, and writing.
Bonus Episode Chains with Laurie Halse Anderson interview
February 16, 2018 21:19 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBThis week, we celebrate George Washington's birthday, Black History Month, and the opening of the film "Black Panther." It seemed like the perfect time to reprise our episode "Chains" about the role African-Americans played in the Revolutionary War. A trio of readers from Maryland discuss the book. Actress S.W. James is celebrity reader. This reprise episode features a new interview with writer Laurie Halse Anderson. She talks about why she's written so many books set at the time of the Ame...
Episode 61 - Loving vs Virginia
February 13, 2018 03:18 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBFor Valentines Day, we have a special love story – part fiction, part fact, based on a landmark US Supreme Court case. It’s called "Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case" by Patricia Hruby Powell. It’s the story of an interracial couple who only wanted to marry the person they loved. Our celebrity reader, actress Crystal West. Readers from Virginia discuss the book and the legal case that took place in their own state. Kitty Felde is host.
Bonus Episode - Favorite Books from readers at St Eugene School and across the country
February 05, 2018 20:54 - 7 minutes - 7.26 MBWe're taking favorite book suggestions! Today, we’ll hear from readers at St. Eugene School in Fox Point, Wisconsin, and then hear book suggestions from other readers in California, Indiana, and Iowa. You can be on the Book Club for Kids podcast, too. Just give us a call! Our new call-in number is 323- 639-3560. Just tell us your first name, the name of your favorite book, and why you like it.
Episode 60 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
January 29, 2018 22:56 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBWilliamsburg has changed enormously since Betty Smith published "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" in 1943. But a trio of DC readers tell host Kitty Felde that they find contemporary themes - the chasm between rich and poor, the rise of the #MeToo movement - in the novel. Nancy Smith Pfeiffer, the 95 year old daughter of Betty Smith, tells us about rushing home from school to read the latest pages of the novel, hot off her mother's typewriter. Actress Sonia Manzano (Maria from "Sesame Street") is c...
Bonus Episode Sonia Manzano
January 22, 2018 17:49 - 9 minutes - 8.91 MBLast week, we talked about the book “The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano” – a tale of a young girl finding her inner activist in the streets of New York’s El Barrio neighborhood in the late 1960’s. Writer Sonia Manzano told us a bit about her own activism, but we wanted to hear more. And frankly, we wanted to hear about the acting side of her life, particularly her many years playing Maria on "Sesame Street" – it was a gig that led to her writing scenes for the show. Sonia says hands down, Osca...
Episode 59 - The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano
January 17, 2018 01:11 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBIn this episode, we look back at the 1960’s and a lesser known protest movement. Writer Sonia Manzano (probably better known as "Maria" from Sesame Street) says her encounter with Puerto Rican American activists known as the Young Lords opened her eyes. Her book is "The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano. It's the story of a young girl discovering her inner activist amid the New York protests over garbage collection that grew into a takeover of a neighborhood church. Our celebrity reader is ac...
Episode 58 - Gilded by Christina Farley
January 02, 2018 22:22 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MBAthletes are heading to Pyeongchang, South Korea for the Winter Olympics. We get there first courtesy of writer Christina Farley. We may not race down a mountainside, avoiding moguls or leaping into the air on the ice rink to execute a perfect triple lutz, but there are thrills and spills aplenty in "Gilded." Plus, we learn some Korean mythology and folk tales. Readers from the Richard Byrd Library in Springfield, Virginia discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Actress Julia Cho is our cel...
Bonus Episode - Favorite Books from California, Ohio, Florida, and Virginia
December 26, 2017 21:55 - 6 minutes - 5.51 MBWere you lucky enough to get a gift certificate to your favorite bookstore for Hannukah or Christmas or Kwanzaa? Can't decide which books you want to get? We have some suggestions. Actually, we have several suggestions. We talked to some experts - readers from Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, and California to ask them for their book suggestions.
Episode 57 - Moo by Sharon Creech
December 18, 2017 23:51 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MBDo you love cows? This is the episode for you. Sharon Draper's tale of a stubborn cow in "Moo." Students from Tyler Elementary School in Washington, DC discuss the novel with host Kitty Felde. Congressman David Valadao, an actual dairy farmer from California, is celebrity reader and talks about the personalities of cows.
Bonus Episode - A Conversation about Writing with Laurel Snyder
December 12, 2017 20:25 - 7 minutes - 5.72 MBWe spoke to writer Laurel Snyder in Episode 56 about her novel "Orphan Island," but she had more to say about writing and the unsolved mysteries in her book.
Bonus Schiff
December 08, 2017 22:34 - 4 minutes - 4.79 MBOur celebrity reader this week, Congressman Adam Schiff from California, shared two of his favorite books on Episode 56. But those choices - and a third favorite book - seem to have made a difference in what careers he decided to pursue as an adult. Also, we tell you how YOU can be on the show with just a phone call!
Episode 56 - Orphan Island
December 06, 2017 01:12 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBWould you like to grow up on a desert island with no adults to boss you around? That's the locale for our book "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder. Our readers from Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park, Illinois talk about the challenges of growing up and try to get our writer to disclose some of the answers to the mysteries in the book. Congressman Adam Schiff from California is our celebrity reader.
Wonder - the podcast
November 16, 2017 15:45 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBHow do we treat those who are different? What does it take to be kind? Kids from DC's Jefferson Academy discuss R.J. Palacio's novel "Wonder" with host Kitty Felde. The writer tells the story about a sidewalk incident that inspired the book. Our celebrity reader is Bob Garfield, cohost of WNYC's "On the Media."